I got in to vertical gardening last year and done some trials with what it would be use full for and the main reason with doing it again this year was for the lettuce and strawberries mainly the amount of space you save and it makes pest control so much simpler so i am in the process of making up more pipes and fitting them in there new homes . strawberries are the simplest and the ones that gain most from growing like this simply dig a hole [a 4 ft pipe will sit in a 12in hole] and a 4 ft pipe i usually plant 5 strawberry plants in these although you can plant as many as you want but it deters the slugs if you wrap some copper around the lower part of the pipe usually 6 in up [copper wire works]. When fruiting you can drape some netting over them to prevent bids /other pests , another bonus for strawberries is when they are growing there runners you can simply using a mini pot plant to put the runners in to and tie to the side of the pipe once ready to be separated you can simply cut them off and plant in to another pipe or in to a larger pot to grow on . Lettuce is similar although you can plant allot closer and being off the ground it prevents the lower leafs going soggy and saves allot of room watering is simple but i will be adding some irrigation pipes to have them self watering but at the moment i just simply pour the water straight in the top and let it filter down and every so often add a hand full of rotted manure to feed your plants . The main size of pipe i use is 110mm drain pipe as this is strong and easy to come by and usually easy to get for FREE. While we are re doing the whole garden this year ime starting to make things permanent rather that everything that was temporary before we are now realizing where stuff should be and how it should be laid out also utilizing sunny spots and shady spots and spots in the garden where other installations will be and working round them to make a easy to maintain and work plot. |
0 Comments
|
Authorrenovating a 1.5 acre small holding on a shoestring budget learning on the job and smiling all the way Archives
October 2015
www.p2s-prepared2survive.co.uk |